I have a group of
10 friends from college, and each day we send a list of 5 things that we are
thankful for that day.  They are never
long, usually they are pretty mundane; we’ll list things like coffee, ice
caves, and chainsaws;  but making my own
daily list and then reading my friends lists is a real nice way to help me
remember that life isn’t all tragedy.  

Lately, I’ve become more and more passionate
about the need for people to just express a little more gratitude in their
lives.   I think that part of our job
here on earth is simply to be grateful.
If fact,  Science can back me up
on this – scientists have discovered that the act of being grateful on a
regular basis actually changes your brain chemist.  Your brain gets rewired through the constant
act of thanksgiving into a place where you are more equipped to handle the
difficult moments that may come your way.

And now, I know
that I’m starting to sound a little bit like a motivational speaker; and so I
promise I won’t use the phrase “attitude of Gratitude” or ask you to buy
a copy of my new “7 tools for success” book.  

But, I do think there’s something essential
about cultivating gratitude in our daily lives and furthermore, I can point to
multiple places in the scripture where Jesus is actually the one calling us to
foster an attitude of gratitude.

“Return to your home, and declare how much God has
done for you.”
– Luke 8:39

Jesus
says those words after casting demons out of a man.  On this Thanksgiving Day, I think they are
good words for us too.  Even though this
year has been far from perfect.  Even
though we probably would rather focus on all that has gone wrong, today let’s
take time to declare how much God has done for us and be thankful.